The NHL is taking it easy on the first Friday of the season. Only two games are taking place. However, that does nothing to limit the amount of DFS opportunities you have. All it does is give you a slighter selection of players to pick from. To help make your Friday decisions easier, here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your lineups.
GOALIE
Tristan Jarry, PIT at WAS ($29): Jarry was quite busy in Pittsburgh’s season opener, but he stopped 32 of the 35 shots he faced, an encouraging start to the campaign. I expect the goalie with the career .914 save percentage to bounce back from a somewhat lackluster 2022-23 season. Washington finished 20th in goals per game last year, and at the moment the team feels stuck in neutral as it serves as a vessel for Alex Ovechkin to chase Wayne Gretzky’s record.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Karel Vejmelka, ARI at NJD ($23: I heard positive talk this offseason about Vejmelka as a goalie, and I do not see where that comes from. Yes, a porous defense in front of his plays a role in his career 3.55 GAA, but his .899 save percentage isn’t exactly helping. Though the Devils are on the second leg of a back-to-back, I’m not getting cute here. One, New Jersey is at home. Two, it had a top-five offense last season and I fully expect that to be the case again this year.
CENTER
Barrett Hayton, ARI at NJD ($17): Looking for a center that provides some upside in terms of salary value, I landed on Hayton. He took a significant step forward last season in scoring 19 goals and adding 24 assists. His ice time, and power-play time, both increased, and this year should be more of the same. The 23-year-old is primed to center Arizona’s top line and play on the first power-play unit. Sure, I’m not worried about the Devils being on the second leg of a back-to-back in total, but with only two games happening that does matter to some degree.
CENTER TO AVOID
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WAS vs. PIT ($10): Kuznetsov is coming off a tough campaign, and while he likely won’t be minus-26 again or have a 7.0 shooting percentage, the Russian averaged a minute less in terms of power-play time, and two minutes in overall ice time. That I can see carrying over, especially with the early indications being Kuznetsov will center the second line i.e. not play with Ovechkin on his wing. For now, I have questions I’d like to see answers, especially with a matchup that isn’t necessarily easy.
WING
Jesper Bratt, NJD vs. ARI ($20): Last year Bratt scored 32 goals, but he also put 212 shots on net. Both were personal bests. What did the Coyotes do last year, and the year prior for that matter? Allow plenty of pucks on goal. Arizona gave up 35.0 shots on goal per game, and a roster mixing in new faces, including young and inexperienced players, likely isn’t going to prove to be an impenetrable wall.
Bryan Rust, PIT at WAS ($17): Rust is a bounce-back candidate after only posting a 9.5 shooting percentage last year. However, he shot so much he still scored 20 goals. This season he’s skating on Sidney Crosby’s wing again, and he picked up a goal in game one off of five shots on target. All of that is encouraging out of the gate. Darcy Kuemper, like Jarry, is very much a candidate to rebound, but he did have a .908 save percentage last year, and there is more reason to question a rebound from a 33-year-old goalie than a 28-year-old one.
WINGS TO AVOID
Reilly Smith, PIT at WAS ($17): Smith is skating on the second line for the Penguins next to Evgeni Malkin, and he looked solid there in the opener. He played 16:57 and put four shots on net. However, he is dealing with adjusting to being with two teammates, and he’s never been a prolific shooter of the puck. In fact, last season’s 180 shots on net were a personal best for him. I’m going to let Smith acclimate before I recommend him, or at least wait until he has a great matchup.
Jason Zucker, ARI at NJD ($15): After a couple seasons snake bit by injury and bad puck luck, Zucker tallied 27 goals for the Penguins last year and then used that to parlay a theoretically larger role with the Coyotes. However, the early expectations are his center with be Logan Cooley. Now, I’m intrigued by the rookie, and he’s flashed a lot of skill. He’s also new to the NHL and playing his first game on the road. I’m not anticipating immediate success for this combo in New Jersey.
DEFENSE
Luke Hughes, NJD vs. ARI ($17): We’ve seen what the Hughes genes have made manifest in the NHL, but we have also seen the youngest of the Hughes brothers get a taste of the NHL already, with encouraging signs. Also, I’m expecting him to play maybe the most-sheltered minutes of any defenseman this season outside of power-play specialists. That should include some time with the extra man for Hughes as well, and the Coyotes ranked 27th on the penalty kill last year.
Rasmus Sandin, WAS vs. PIT ($15): When Rasmus Sandin was dealt from Toronto to Washington, his ice time ticked up to 22:59 per game (including 2:17 per game on the power play) and he responded with 15 points in 19 contests. Now, I don’t think the Swede has suddenly become Cale Makar, but he seems primed to see plenty of minutes for the Capitals even if the presence of a healthy John Carlson likely leaves him on the second power-play unit. The Penguins were notably only 16th on the penalty kill last year and bottom 10 in shots on net allowed per game. Erik Karlsson is an exciting addition, but not for what he brings on the defensive end.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Kris Letang, PIT at WAS ($22): Letang played plenty of minutes in Pittsburgh’s opener, 24:32 to be precise, but here’s something striking: Erik Karlsson doubled up Letang’s power-play time. The veteran Penguins defenseman has long been a vital part of the power play, and prolific on that front, but as he’s aged he’s relied more and more on the extra man for his production. Now, he seems like that opportunity may be slipping away. Plus, even if he does see power-play time, the Capitals ranked 11th on the penalty kill last year.
Sean Durzi, ARI at NJD ($15): In Durzi’s rookie season, 15 of his 27 points came on the power play. Then, as a sophomore, he tallied 16 of his 38 points with the extra man. It seems clear where Durzi’s bread is buttered, and I imagine that will remain the case now that he has left Los Angeles for the desert (well, for a more-overt desert than LA, at least). Last year, though, the Devils were fourth on the penalty kill, and the key cogs are effectively all in place once again on that front.
